Discord CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy brings up enshittification in nearly every meeting, spotlighting Discord’s new ad campaigns, Orbs rewards, and a looming IPO. Since March 2024, Discord users have seen ads pop up on desktop, console, and mobile, with Orbs traded for in-game rewards. "We have to be extremely thoughtful," Vishnevskiy insists.

Discord’s leadership claims they regularly debate enshittification risk, especially after CEO Jason Citron’s April exit and Humam Sakhnini’s arrival. As Discord expands ads and Orbs, users recall the 2019 game store shutdown and 2021 crypto wallet retreat. "We really underestimated the sensitivity," Vishnevskiy admits, referencing the NFT backlash.

In 2024, Discord introduced Orbs, a digital currency earned by clicking ads, which users can exchange for in-game rewards—an experiment in gamified advertising.